The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-04-12

covery by the officials Of tho road
Eastern bound trains are not molested
Western bound tya!ps hays been the sal
iefers. AS near as we can estimate II
theae robberies have been going on 70
Two years. At frat there was timidis,
and they only occurred at long intervals
then daily growing bolder and more gen
efat until Just lately every train was
sufferer. We became coguizant OF tn,
lobberies through claims submitted tt
New YORK to the road, on the strength O.
their Western customers allegations o
broken packages both in bulk and II
soveratty, the evidence In each case beint
positive that the packages were opened IL
transit"
puzzLlEd CASE.
we were puzzled for long time by tht
fobberies, as our reports from Western
pointsshowed that the seals were all seem,
inSly intact. For long time We blamed
tho extraction OF gooda upon the roustn.
bouts at Piers q and 2S in New York. and
Inc Dock-Htreet Station at Philadelphia,
as nearly all OF our western.bound freight
was put In the cara at either ono OF these
three places. We employed dotectiyea
and all imaginable devices, and found
hnally that our employees at those points
we're above all suspicion. AZ I am in
cnafge OF all crookedness on our road east
oi iPitts6urgh, 1t then became my duty to
follow the robbers up to this city. After
a most exhaustive search OF the entire di.
vision oi tho Pennsylvania Railroad mn to
iriitsbulrgh, came to the conclusion that
tho robbercs were committed west of
Pittsburgh"
" then notified Mr.. John Ii. Hampton,
Solicitor Of the Pennsylvania Company,
oil tho result OF my Investigations, and
Went 80 lar as to stake my reputation on
tho tact that tho robberies were c1mmitted
in Pittsburgh or west OF 1t. / had 10 much
territory to cover that I requested Mr..
Hampton to secure detective to manage
the aiiHlr-one wto could cope with the
magnitude OF the robberies."
"Mr. Hampton engaged Mr.. Gilkeson
70 take charge OF the affair, and must saw
that the details OF the arrest, tho discovery
Of the stolen good, etc, hive bsen man.
aged with consutnmats skill. Mr.. Gike-
sons Investigations were thotongh and it
grew to such magnitude that MI. Usmp.
ton teiegrraphed me asking my assistance :;
that has been given.
I LOCATING THE EoRDEElRs.
As result Of our work for the past two
months We found that the rabberies were
committed between pittabrrsh and Denni.
son; that ont iS0 crews, rs were precticinp
q gigantic scheme Of robbery. We were
bsdly stalled at first by tho fact that the
seals on the cars were generally found in
TACT when the cars reached Columbus on
their way westward. Then commenced
system o! espionage on every mile OF sid.
Ing between bere and Dearison. Day
ana night the watch continued. Mean.
while, marked and decoy goods were used.
We found that local freigh. was generally
untouched: that tho robbbries we're COM
mitsed on Union Line shipments. We'll
and good.
"One dark night one OF our brightest
men stumbled sgains. the mystery Of the
seals and the method by which they were
tampered with. Concealed
behind car, he saw the freight crew
come to q Union Line car. The wire was
pulled out OF the seal, the door was thrown
bacE ana the car entered. Ina shor. tune
the men emerged carrying lot OF plunder,
Ihey made oil to the caboose and the con.
ductor pulled back the door, ran the wire
through the seal where it had been pulled
out, aud with board struck it blow.
The wire went back to its place, the blow
united the soft lead again without des-
f5oying the lettering on either side, and
the seal Was apparently untouched, |
saw one Of these, and it was only by TIM
closest scrutiny that person could detect
the elenB Of iamperine with it."
All this made clear, our course Was
much eaaier. The indivdua.s OF these
crews wero then each OF them tracked
down, and | may say here, that GO closely
were the stolen goods located that out OF
all the arrests We made las. night and this
there was not one man but had
stolen stut either upon him or in his
room. VI course you understand that
methocs used in aecertaining oil this can
not be made public. Suffice it to say that
we have our hands on every thieyish EN-.
p!oye and We are in easy reach OF thoee
who are not arrested. When | asv we, |
mean OF couree Mr. Gilkeson first, az to
him belongs the exclusive crsdit Of the
rich haul that filed the drag.uet."
CHARACTER or ARTICLES STOLEN.
" can give few illustrations 0! the
spirit OF these employees. In one case,
Just lately, the pursuit wns 80 hot that
twenty-five bo1es OF fine cigHrB were hast.
lIy burned in q Caboose stove. In another
caee tip resulted in two bolts Of fine
SILK being thrown iroIn caboose into the
honongaEela river while crossing the
Panhandle bridge. In anothe. instance u
crew broke open ca, aud found it full OF
ofgana. One OF tho men, enraged by find
ing nothing Of the stes!aba kind, thrust
an IRON bar into the organ and .ninel
it. Wo have evidence that II freight con-
ductor broke into AGAR, ,oprnEd piano and
sat and played Il al night, stopping at
midnight to eat his eupper OIL OF the pol
ished top. rhr sane fellow %as thunp.
snga piano 10 diva last night when cap.
turei. Another brakeman, who lives on
Wyile avenue, stole bolt OF cloth, and
had suit made 10. himself and gave the
cloth ior two other sata 10 two OF ltis
IrlendH. Another man Gac become an ex.
pert on q stolen aCcordcon. In all nv ex
perience Of 70 years never saw such a
laese for ,oiscellaneous stualing. Every
hing except coffin aud o blacksmith's
anvil has been stolen and made usu OF,
some OF our dutectly"s assured mo this
that not man WAS arrested but
had from half dozsn tn q dozen pairs of
;Iean socks Of tho finest qualities, and q
arge assortment of shirts OF oil k.ulis.
SENSATION IN GEnRGIA